Brother Mine
by Kyatto no Edo
Summary: End Of Anime Series AU. When Al used the stone to bring his brother back from the dead he did succeed. Except Ed was brought back an eleven year old boy with no memories of their journey together. Yet Al still remained in armor....


Brother Mine

-

A vast prairie with rolling hills streaked with green, long stonewalls, and the laughs of plowmen working out in the fields. These were some of things Edward saw and heard when he awoke, in a daze, in the middle of empty grassland. His small frame was covered in dirt and his body was worn. Clothes torn, blonde hair loose and mussed, gold eyes blinking themselves into focus. Slowly, as not to increase the throbbing pain he felt in his temples, he sat up to look around. This place was familiar…Resembool. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out for the life of him how he got way out away from his house. Where was his house anyway? More importantly though, where was Alphonse? The last thing he remembered was drawing the circle and runes on the floor when they both tried to transmute their mother back to life, then a flash and large doors opening before him. Those doors seemed to hold all the knowledge of the universe, for when they opened in front of him it felt as if everything there is about life and alchemy was flooded into his mind. Then, the doors closed, and he awoke outside.

Inside her house, all of a sudden Winry felt an eerie chill run down her spine. She felt a sudden impulse to go outside, like someone was waiting for her. She sighed and stood up then grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.

"I'll be right back Granny! I just got an odd intuition about something!" Edward heard a familiar voice from over the hill…Winry.

Sure enough, the tall blonde girl came dashing to where he was, but there was something different about her. She was taller for one thing-a lot taller, and she had matured greatly, not at all the eleven-year-old he remembered. Suddenly, he was feeling rather frightened. What was going on? Why was Winry so grown up?

When Winry caught sight of him she stopped and looked at him suspiciously, cocking her head to one side. "…Ed…? Is that you?" It was her!

"Winry!" He exclaimed, heart beating a mile a minute. "I'm sort've confused…what's going on here? Where's Al?"

She sighed and kneeled down beside him. "You're automail's gone…" she murmured softly running a hand along his right arm.

"Automail?"

"And you've seem to have shrunk some…"

"What do mean shrunk!"

Winry looked at him directly in the eye and clutched his shoulders. "Edward…" her voice was low. "How old are you now?"

Edward blinked at her a few times, bewildered. Had she gone mad? "I'm eleven, going to be twelve soon. You should know this! Why?"

Another sigh, she sure was acting strange. "Do you have any recollection of ever having automail?"

"…" He blinked. "No…Why?"

"Does the term 'Philosophers Stone' mean anything to you?"

"Just something I read about in an old book…why?"

"What about the name 'FullMetal Alchemist'? That ring any bells?"

Edward was getting frustrated with her, what with her asking him all these silly questions, like he had become some kind of a nutter overnight. "Winry! What're you talking about? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

"So you've forgotten…I see…" she lowered her head. "You two must've done something incredible that took a lot of sacrifice."

Edward's face lit up for a moment, "Two of us? You mean you know where Al is?"

She shook her head, "No I don't…I'm sorry. I haven't seem him since you-he left to go track something down…" Her voice lowered to a whisper only she could hear. "You two must've succeeded somehow."

His head lowered. This was just not his day. "Do you think he'll come back?"

Winry tilted his chin up with one hand and gave him her usual warm Winry-smile. "I'm sure he'll come home soon. After all, you're here now aren't you?"

"Yeah," he replied with a small sigh. "You're right, thanks Winry."

"Alright, let's get back home. Granny should have dinner ready soon," she took his hand and helped him to his feet.

When Alphonse came to he was in a mess of ruins, which seemed to have once been the Fuhrer's library. His body was still the heavy armor it always had been for the passed four years. …Did he succeed? Was his brother alive somewhere safe? Questions seemed to flood his mind at the moment.

"Brother! Brother! Ed!" he called out as he stood up, looking around, hoping his brother might be somewhere nearby. No answer came.

This worried him a great deal the room was too quiet. No signs of Dante or any of the homunculi or anyone at all, just him and the sounds of the debris falling from rafters. He could tell by the room's structure he was definitely still in Central, meaning there were plenty of people outside with information. Standing off to one side, he debated for a moment. Were the homunculi and their master really gone, or was this some sort of trick to give him a false sense of security? Should he go straight to the military command and report some of the incident? Was that already taken care of by another? Should he go find the Colonel to see if he and his men pulled through? Would Ed be with them? Or would to take a train to Resembool to get condolence from Winry a better idea? Is it possible his brother was already in Resembool?

"The explosion came from here! This way!" came the shouts of soldiers.

Alphonse turned to check his surroundings once again. The door that seemed to be one of the entrances to the fallen city was completely caved in and covered by rubble. There was no way he could get down there that way, and he wasn't sure about the status of the other entrances. Perhaps that city was finally destroyed…

"There's movement! Someone's in there!"

The door to the room smashed open causing even more debris to fall from the ceiling on him, and Alphonse was greeted with the ends of rifles aimed at his chest-plate. One of the soldiers he recognized as Lieutenant Havoc from Mustang's squad.

"Alphonse! Is that you?" Havoc asked as he motioned for the other soldiers to lower their weapons and he dashed toward him. "What the hell happened here?"

"Just the usual this-and-that," Alphonse replied, not sure if he should reveal what happened with Dante and the homunculi. He knew for sure Mustang knew the Fuhrer was a homunculus, he even went after him to confront him himself, but Al was unsure about the rest of the troops so he chose to keep quiet.

Havoc nodded, "So you're alright then? What about Ed?"

Alphonse shook his head. "I lost track of him after the explosion," he explained. "So you haven't seen him?"

"No," the Lieutenant told him. "With word of the Fuhrer's disappearance we got pulled back from our posting in Drachma. As for the Col-Brigadier General, the last word we got was that Lieutenant Hawkeye was escorting him to the hospital. Colonel Archer was said to have been killed during the attack at the Fuhrer's estate. I haven't seen Ed since you two ran off in Resembool and decided to become fugitives." He chuckled.

Alphonse made a noise that sounded somewhat like a sigh. " I see…. Alright then."

"Need any help?" Havoc asked curiously. "You might have to ditch this place though. We're going to have to clean some of it up before the whole place falls apart."

"It's okay," the suit of armor shook its head. "Thanks Lieutenant."

Once he had cleared the building he was able to get a good glimpse of what happened to Central. For the most part, it was still intact, but several of the main buildings were crumbling apart, and there was a mad rush of soldiers all about. Everyone seemed to be in the same state- alarmed, confused, exasperated. With the Fuhrer now "gone" there was the issue of who should lead the country. This was going to be a difficult time. Suddenly, Alphonse caught sight of a face he recognized, Lieutenant Hawkeye. She had just exited the hospital wearing a formal skirt outfit carrying a small suitcase.

"Lieutenant!" Alphonse called to her as he ran to meet up with her.

She smiled, but she didn't seem all that happy. If anything, she looked rather depressed and down on herself. Perhaps it had something to do with Mustang? "Hello Alphonse, you seem to look well in this time of crisis I see."

"Yes, thank you ma'am. You too," he nodded. "Have you seen my brother? Is he with Mustang?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Haven't seen him in a long while. Also, I don't think you should be bothering the Col-Brigadier General about it either. He's going through a fairly rough recovery."

Alphonse nodded, "Alright then, if that's what you think is best." He turned around to go find somewhere else to investigate.

"Might you try Resembool? I'm pretty sure that's where he went to look for you!" she called after him as he walked away.

"Will do! Thanks Lieutenant!" he replied.

So now both she and his instincts were telling him to go to Resembool. It seemed like he no longer had any choice. If anything, he'll be able to talk to Winry and Granny Pinako about it. He went to Central Station, which appeared to be very much in operation and checked to see when the next one going to Resembool would be departing. Luckily, he found one that would be leaving within the hour and went to the counter to purchase tickets. (Good thing for him his brother was part of the State; they just put it on his account).

The train ride was long and it seemed even slower than usual. Maybe it was because his brother wasn't beside him keeping him company like he had all the years before. Now it was just him…alone. He gazed out the window, trying his hardest to not pay any attention to all the stares he received from the other passengers. The people at the Central Station knew him by now because of his brother so he was no longer question, but all of these people were strangers to him and without his brother there to try to make it seem normal he stood out even more. His soft sigh echoed within the chamber of metal, a sound he had become all too familiar with hearing. The Stone was gone now…as was the last remaining shreds of his hope.

Winry smiled as she held his hand. She had forgotten just how curious Edward had been in his youth. After all these years Resembool of the present seemed to be foreign to him. He was more confused then ever, wondering why his old friends were all of a sudden nearly twice his height. Poor Winry didn't want to try to explain anything until she knew about Alphonse's condition. Was Alphonse stuck this way too? Was he out there, somewhere, wandering around like a little lost ten-year-old? She bit her lip as she looked down and watched all of the awed looks Edward was giving the town.

However, Edward's eyes widened and shook with fear when they came to the area where his house once stood. He jerked out of Winry's grasp and ran to the pile of rubble and ash. His eyes darted from one smoldering corner to the other. Fast enough that Winry thought he might've snapped his neck he looked back at her. Tears started welling up in his eyes.

"Winry…" he choked. "Where's my house…?"

She looked down, unsure of how to tell him. "It's gone…"

"Gone?" he took a few wobbling steps back. "What do you mean gone!" A few tears rolled down his cheeks.

Winry stepped toward him and pulled him in a loose embrace. "There was a fire…"

"Fire…what…" Edward fell to his knees and crawled around, digging through the dirt for traces of what had once stood there. "But…it was just here…. It was just here!"

"I know…" she lied. "I know. But fires do happen…and they can be devastating…"

"All of Mom's stuff? Is that all gone too?" he sobbed, looking up at her with wide eyes.

She tried to comfort him. "Some of it was saved…but not everything…"

"Where am I going to live!"

Without a second thought she lifted him o his feet. "With Granny and me."

"Al too?"

"Yes, Al too…" she guided him back to her house.

After what seemed like an eternity the train finally arrived in Resembool. Dodging the lazy passengers and crewman, Alphonse hurried off the train and out into the town. Even if his brother wasn't there someone just had to know about where he was. All he wanted was to know if his brother was safe. When he reached the main part of the village a few of the farmers recognized him and waved. With a hope filled heart he dashed over to them.

"Have any of you seen Ed?"

Both of them nodded. "I saw him and the Rockbell girl heading over to her place." One told him.

"But his seems a lot smaller than I remember him." The other one added.

"Doesn't he always?" They both laughed.

Yes! This was perfect! "Thanks guys!" He ran off down the dirt path up to the automail shop.

When he finally reached her house he slowed his pace. He hadn't seen Winry since right before they went to take down Sloth. She might not be in a good mood, especially if Ed 's in there and she was working on his automail. Which reminded him…Ed. He was alive. Something must've been successful….

Standing up as tall as he could he knocked on the door. "Winry? It's me."

The door opened but instead of Winry stood a little boy that barely came up to the waist of his armor. A pair of golden eyes looked up at him, a pointy stray strand of hair aimed directly at the spike that protruded from his forehead. He looked just like Ed when he was younger. But he couldn't have been Ed…could he?

"Bro-Ed…?"

"AH!" the little boy shrieked, dashing back into the house. "Winry! Dad's armor is talking to me!"

"No! Ed wait!"

"It's okay Ed, it must be…." Winry came to the door and stood face to face with him. "…Al."

If armor could've smiled he would've. "Winry! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Come in…" she showed him inside and closed the door behind him. "Where'd you come from?"

"Central," he replied, taking a seat at the table. "Hey Winry…"

"Yeah?" she grabbed a chair opposite of where he sat.

"That boy's Ed isn't he?"

She nodded, "Yes. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything, so he probably doesn't remember you."

"Yeah I figured based on that scream when he saw me. Where is he?"

"He probably went to get Granny…" she turned to face the door to the workshop. "Hey Ed! Come out here!"

Finally, the door opened and the little boy peered out. "What?"

"A visitor for you."

Hesitantly, Edward made his way towards the suit of armor. "What do you want?"

"Brother…" Alphonse said softly. "It's me, your brother, Al."

"HOW DID YOU GET SO TALL!" Edward growled, hands planted on his hips. "What happened?"

Winry couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not his fault, Ed…"

"But," Edward stuttered slightly. "What are you doing in the armor?" He crawled up on Al's lap and fumbled with the head until it popped off. He peered in and saw there was nothing inside. Yet again, he shrieked.

"THERE'S NOTHING INSIDE!"

"Ed! Ed calm down! Ed! It's okay!" Both Winry and Alphonse tried there best to calm him.

"See…brother…you probably don't remember but after we tried to transmute our Mom and it failed…we kind of went on a journey."

"To find the Philosopher's Stone…" Winry added.

"Yeah, and to do it you had to become a State Alchemist. So for four years we worked for the military until we finally found the Stone. Unfortunately, there were some complications and because of them you…died."

"WHAT?" Edward looked shocked.

"So I used the Stone to transmute you back to life…."

"Al's always been this way after you two tried to bring your mother back. During those years both your arm and leg were gone, Ed." Winry explained. "So I had you equipped with automail. Yet now it seems that because of Al's sacrifice with the Stone, you were brought back all in one piece and yet Al…"

"…I remained the same." Alphonse finished in a saddened tone. "The world isn't perfect."

Edward gave them both a skeptical look. "…And you expect me to believe all of this?"

"Come on Ed, we wouldn't be so serious about it if it weren't true." Winry replied softly.

"Prove it to me."

Winry got up and dug around for a calendar, she brought it back to show him that it was nearing the end of 1915- fours years later than when he and Al tried to bring their mother back.

Needless to say, Edward was somewhat satisfied as he plopped down onto the floor. "But Sensei told us not to become State Alchemists…that they're evil dogs of the military…"

"Sometimes you have no choice," Alphonse told him, sounding very much more the older brother even though technically Ed had been. "To do what we needed to do, we had to go through it."

"But…" Edward looked up at his brother pleadingly.

Alphonse sighed. Suddenly, a very strange thought came to mind. If Edward was only eleven now and he was still fifteen…. then he was now the older brother…technically. What an odd thought that was!

"Listen, brother, why don't you sleep on it? I'm sure it will all make sense in the morning."

"Good idea," Winry nodded, taking Ed by the hand and leading him to the room where he would be sleeping.

That night Edward was curled up in bed under a large mess of blankets. It had taken a while, and many glasses of water and soothing words before Winry managed to get him to fall asleep. And when Ed slept, he slept like a rock, so he didn't hear the clanking when Alphonse finally settled into his corner for the night. Although he didn't sleep, as always Alphonse liked to be with his brother. Sort've like a guardian angel he supposed, to make sure his brother was well though the night.

At around two in the morning Winry tiptoed into the room after she finished some of her work. She crept in as quietly as she could to be sure not to awaken Ed and kneeled down in front of the suit of armor. She gently rested again against his metal chest plate and stroked his gauntlet with one hand even though she knew he couldn't feel it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly, a tear falling and tapping the armor on its way to the floor. "I'm so sorry…"


End file.
